ERP nieuws

Andelst, 5 Maart 2008. Aluminium Donk BV Kiest Infor ERP Visual voor het stroomlijnen van het orderproces, het verlagen van het onderhanden werk en optimaliseren van de kwaliteit.

Quartess SCS – een Infor Global Solutions Benelux partner- kondigt vandaag aan dat Aluminium Donk BV, een zelfstandige aluminimium gieterij uit Lopik die als toeleverancier aan oa de automotive industry optreedt, Infor ERP Visual heeft gekozen voor de ondersteuning van haar primaire- en secundaire bedrijfsproces.

Infor ERP Visual is een industrie specifieke ERP oplossing, ontwikkeld voor de MKB maak industrie. Visual zal ingezet worden om de operationele effectiviteit van- en de inzichtelijkheid in- de bedrijfsprocessen van Aluminium Donk te optimaliseren. Hierdoor wordt het mogelijk de customer service verder te vergroten. In combinatie met het eveneens aangeschafte Visual Quality zal Aluminium Donk tevens in staat zijn de geldende kwaliteitsstandaarden voor bijvoorbeeld de Automotive industry.-een belangrijke afnemersgroep- te borgen.

Infor ERP Visual voor de discrete maak industrie, met een gebruiksvriendelijke grafische user interface, biedt een geïntegreerde oplossing voor verkoop, ordermanagement, productieplanning, inkoop, voorraadbeheer en financiële administratie. De standaard workflow functionaliteit zorgt voor een soepele en desgewenst taakgestuurde afloop van al deze processen. Duizenden bedrijven in de maak industrie vertrouwen op Infor ERP Visual voor inzicht in de bedrijfsvoering en verbetering van de productiviteit.

“Doelstelling bij de selectie van ons nieuwe ERP-systeem was een toekomstbestendig systeem te kiezen, ontwikkeld voor ons type bedrijf, met passende functionaliteit om ook logistieke verbeteringen te kunnen realiseren. Met Infor ERP Visual hebben dat gevonden” zo zegt Erik Donk, General Manager van Aluminium Donk BV. “Daarnaast is voor ons van groot belang geweest dat Quartess veel ervaring heeft in ons type bedrijf”

Aluminium Donk is een zelfstandige aluminium gieterij die zowel eigen producten voert als ook opereert als toeleverancier. Daarbij is men gespecialiseerd in fabricage van bijvoorbeeld onderdelen/componenten waaruit zonweringen worden geassembleerd en heeft men afnemers in de automotive industrie. Met ca 100 medewerkers is men in grote mate self supporting doordat men beschikt over een eigen ontwikkelafdeling, een gereedschapmakerij en een moderne eigen poedercoat installatie. Voor meer informatie zie www.aluminiumdonk.com

Quartess SCS is de Benelux partner van Infor Global Solutions voor de Infor ERP Visual™ productlijn (wereldwijd > 4000 installaties) Quartess SCS richt zich met Visual op de MKB discrete maakindustrie die (deels) ordergestuurd en/of projectmatig werkt en heeft een uitgebreide klantenkring in de Benelux. Tevens is Quartess SCS Benelux partner van Vanguard Business Analytics (deel van Exact Software) voor de Business Intelligence Software Graphical Performance Series. Voor meer informatie zie: www.quartess.eu of http://go.infor.com/visual.

Quartess SCS –an Infor Global Solutions partner for the Benelux- today announced that Nedcard BV, an international independent micro-module assembly house, has selected Infor ERP Visual to support its business operations in The Netherlands, Germany and China.

Infor ERP Visual is an industry-specific ERP solution designed for small- to medium size manufacturers. It will be deployed to increase the operational efficiency and impove visibility into Nedcard’s business processes, enabling Nedcard to improve customer service. In combination with the Visual Quality application, Nedcard will be able to comply with highest applicable industry standards.

Infor ERP Visual’s business-specific functionality for discrete manufacturing, with an easy-to-use graphical user interface, provides manufacturers an extensive integrated solution to source, plan, make and deliver their products. Visual is designed to give small to medium businesses powerful management capabilities through the built-in workflow system, allowing them to build the controls they need for their business. Thousands of manufacturers depend on Infor ERP Visual to gain valuable insight into their supply chain, improve compliance management and successfully support lean initiatives.

“Our goal in selecting new ERP software was to improve the overall efficiency of our operations through the implementation of a scalable solution that could meet our needs now as well as for the long-term,” said Fred Pinckers, Controller at Nedcard. “Of all the solutions we evaluated, Infor ERP Visual matched our business requirements the best”

NedCard was founded in 1995 as the first independent micro-module assembly house. Since then the company grew very fast, almost doubling its turn-over every year. Today NedCard is a global manufacturer with factories in The Netherlands, Germany and China with a total production capacity of more than 400 million modules and over 120 employees, capable of producing all types of micro-controller, memory, dual interface and contact-less modules. NedCard will maintain its leading global position as independent reel to reel module assembly and test house for the Smart Card, RFID and related markets by being the most attractive co-maker for semiconductor suppliers. For additional information visit www.nedcard.nl

Founded in 1995, Quartess represents 2 software companies in the Benelux for specific productlines. For Infor Global Solutions, Quartess is the Benelux partner for the Infor ERP Visual producline. For Vanguard Business Analytics, Quartess represents the GPS Business Intelligence software suite. As a long-time Infor partner since 1999, Quartess works with a dedicated team of highly experienced and educated employees to sell, implement and service the Visual solution (worldwide >4.000 installation) Quartess’ focus is on small-to-midsize manufacturing companies in branches like Capital Equipment, High Tech Electronics, Aerospace & Defence, Plastics and Generic supplies. For additional information visit www.quartess.eu or http://go.infor.com/visual.

PERSBERICHT 29 mei 2007: Machinefabriek Buhrs-Zaandam kiest Infor ERP Visual™

Buhrs-Zaandam BV, marktleider op het gebied van mailing en fulfillment systemen, gaat de komende maanden in nauwe samenwerking met Quartess SCS, Infor ERP Visual implementeren. Nu werkt het bedrijf nog met een aantal losse systemen voor projectadministratie, productieaansturing en financiële administratie. Met de keuze voor Infor ERP Visual™ heeft men het complete proces in 1 systeem ondergebracht.

Controller Willem-Jan Ruizendaal vertelt zich samen met de projectgroep uitgebreid te hebben georiënteerd op uiteindelijk 3 verschillende ERP-systemen. “Ondersteuning van projectmatig werken door het ERP-systeem is een belangrijke eis”. “Onze systemen worden weliswaar opgebouwd uit voor een deel standaard componenten, de realisering van de uiteindelijke klantorder wordt projectmatig benaderd”. “Infor ERP Visual blijkt de combinatie van projectmatig werken met productie het beste te ondersteunen en is daarnaast een intuïtief en daardoor gebruiksvriendelijk systeem”.
“Ook is voor ons belangrijk dat de software leverancier wereldwijd vertegenwoordigd is. Met Infor Global Solutions, waarvan Quartess de Benelux partner is, zijn we hiervan verzekerd”.

Over Quartess SCS
Quartess SCS is de Benelux partner van Infor Global Solutions voor de Infor ERP Visual™ productlijn. Quartess SCS richt zich met Visual op de MKB discrete maakindustrie die (deels) ordergestuurd en/of projectmatig werkt en heeft een uitgebreide klantenkring in de Benelux.
Tevens is Quartess SCS Benelux partner van Vanguard Business Analytics (deel van Exact Software) voor de Business Intelligence Software Graphical Performance Series.

Over Buhrs-Zaandam BV
Buhrs-Zaandam is een wereldwijde leverancier van mailing- en fulfillment-oplossingen. Buhrs ontwikkelt, produceert, verkoopt en onderhoudt folie- en papierverpakkingssystemen. Deze systemen bereiden mediaproducten zoals tijdschriften, kranten, computeroutput, direct mail producten, boeken etc voor voor distributie. Tot de opdachtgevers behoren postale organisaties, uitgevers, drukkers, binders, mailinghuizen, banken, servicebureaus, verzekeringsmaatschappijen, fulfillment bedrijven etc. Buhrs is wereldwijd vertegenwoordigd met eigen vestigingen en/of gekwalificeerde distributeurs.

Contact:
Quartess SCS, J.F. Muller, 0488-470 165
Buhrs-Zaandam BV, W.J. Ruizendaal, 075-799 06 00

Aberdeen: Laagste TCO met Infor!

Infor Provides Lowest Total Cost of Ownership for Software and Services Per-User Among Companies Recently Surveyed by Aberdeen Group.

Infor Customers Benefit from Business-Specific Solutions That Lead to Less Customization, Quicker Implementations, and Fewer IT Resources.

ATLANTA, GA– Oct 30, 2006 – Infor, one of the largest global providers of enterprise software, today announced Aberdeen Group has established the company as a leader for delivering low total cost of ownership for enterprise resource planning software used by manufacturers worldwide.

The report, ERP in Manufacturing Benchmark, surveyed more than 1,100 companies of all sizes on the total amount spent on software and external services. The report showed that Infor customers spend an average of 44 percent less on services than the nearest competitor.

“Infor is filling a hole in the market that is not being addressed by the larger enterprise software providers. Businesses want proven solutions that deliver the lowest total cost of ownership. That’s what Infor delivers and why more than 1,000 businesses chose Infor over the competition last year,” said Infor Chairman and CEO Jim Schaper. “We don’t deliver one size fits all. Our solutions are business specific with experience built in.”

According to the Aberdeen report, most companies only use 27 percent of the features and functions available to them. However, Aberdeen Group confirmed that Infor customers were more likely to take fuller advantage of the functionality in the modules they deployed, meaning Infor solutions have inherent capabilities for the specific industries for which they are developed.

“We evaluated companies on a combination of cost of software and the total cost of implementation of that software,” said Cindy Jutras, Aberdeen Group’s vice president and service director of manufacturing. “Clearly, lowest total cost of ownership is a critical factor in the purchasing decision manufacturers make when evaluating a software vendor. Infor has demonstrated the right function and fit for manufacturers seeking to maximize their IT investment.”

Andelst, augustus 2006: Quartess is door Infor Global Solutions aangewezen als een van de zeer weinige partners voor de Circle of Excellence award. Deze prijs is verkregen op grond van de verkoop resultaten in het boekjaar 2006 van Infor, lopende van 1 juni 2005 tot en met 31 mei 2006 en wordt uitgereikt op een bijeenkomst in Monaco eind september 2006.

Uiteraard is Quartess uitermate blij met dit resultaat. Het bevestigt de slagkracht en kwaliteit van onze organisatie evenals de Kwaliteit van Infor ERP Visual, het product waarmee dit resultaat is neergezet.

PERSBERICHT 29 mei 2006, Aerospace bedrijf implementeert Infor ERP Visual™

Senior Aerospace Bosman BV in Rotterdam gaat de komende maanden in nauwe samenwerking met Infor Global Solutions Benelux partner Quartess SCS het ERP-systeem Infor ERP Visual™ implementeren. Nu werkt het bedrijf nog met een aantal losse systemen voor productieaansturing, financiële administratie en kwaliteits waarborging. Met de keuze voor Infor ERP Visual™ heeft men het complete proces in 1 systeem ondergebracht.

Controller Arjan den Breems vertelt zich uitgebreid te hebben georiënteerd op 4 verschillende ERP-systemen. Efficiënt produceren, op basis van Lean Manufacturing technieken is voor SABosman zeer belangrijk. Daarnaast worden in de Aerospace Industrie zeer hoge eisen gesteld aan kwaliteitsborging van de bedrijfsprocessen. Tot slot is voor SABosman ook zeer belangrijk om snel en eenvoudig toegang te hebben tot informatie uit het ERP-systeem. Infor ERP Visual™ blijkt op deze punten het beste te scoren.

Senior Aerospace Bosman is onderdeel van de Aerospace tak van het Britse Senior PLC en houdt zich met name bezig met de ontwikkeling en productie van hoogtechnologisch componenten voor gasturbines, zowel mobiel (vliegtuigmotoren) als stationair. Daarnaast heeft men een reparatietak. Het bedrijf is ISO 9000, AS9100, FAA, JAA, NADCAP NDT en NADCAP welding gecertificeerd en heeft een zeer internationale klantenkring in de lucht- en ruimtevaart industrie.

Uitlaatdeel
Boeing 747

Over Senior Aerospace Bosman BV
SABosman is deel van het beursgenoteerde Britse Senior PLC concern. Senior is werelwijd actief in de sectoren Aerospace, Automotive en Industriële Toelevering. SABosman opereert in de Aerospace sector en ontwikkelt, produceert en repareert hoogwaardig componenten voor vliegtuig motoren en stationaire gasturbines. De onderneming heeft een brede internationale klantenkring, waaronder KLM, Stork, Rolls-Royce, Agusta etc.

Contact:
Quartess SCS, J.F. Muller, 0488-470 165
Senior Aerospace Bosman, A. den Breems, 010-423 98 38

Andelst, 15 januari 2005. Per 15 januari 2005 is Quartess SCS door de Belgisch-Vlaamse overheid geaccrediteerd als erkend opleidingsverstrekker. Een uitgebreide evaluatie van de organisatie van Quartess SCS door TUV Nederland heeft geleid tot een positieve aanbeveling aan de Belgische overheid. Deze aanbeveling is nu overgenomen. Dit betekent voor Belgische opdrachtgevers dat men voor de betaling van diensten gebruik kan maken van opleidingscheques zoals door de Belgische overheid verstrekt.

Andelst, 21 oktober 2004. Directie Quartess SCS verheugd over overname LSA door Infor Global Solutions Inc

De directie van Quartess SCS is zeer verheugd over de overname van Lilly Software Associates Inc door Infor Global Solutions Inc. De belangrijkste reden hiervoor is de nog betere continuïteits garantie die wij onze klanten en potentiële opdrachtgevers hierdoor kunnen bieden.

Infor Global Solutions is een financieel zeer draagkrachtige internationaal opererende software onderneming met een zeer duidelijke focus. De Visual producten zoals ondermeer het bekende ERP-systeem Visual Enterprise™ passen uitstekend in de ‘discrete manufacturing’ divisie van Infor en vormen daar een zeer goede en welkome aanvulling op de bestaande systemen.

Productontwikkeling zal krachtig worden voortgezet. Infor Global Solutions is als software provider gewend aan het fors investeren in applicaties teneinde deze uitstekend te laten aansluiten bij de marktvraag. Gemiddeld zo’n 20% van de jaaromzet wordt aan productontwikkeling besteed. Ook en juist Visual Enterprise™ zal hiervan profiteren.

De kennis van discrete manufacturing binnen Infor is groot. Het is tevens de belangrijkste divisie gemeten naar omzet.

Alhoewel Infor Global Solutions Inc een Amerikaans concern is, wordt ca 50% van de omzet in Europa gerealiseerd. Een duidelijk waarborg voor een focus op de behoeften van Europese (potentiële) opdrachtgevers.

Quartess SCS continueert haar relatie met Lilly Software Associates dan ook per direct met de overnemende partij Infor Global Solutions Inc

Infor Global Solutions Acquires Lilly Software Associates
Acquisition builds on Infor’s global strength in Discrete Manufacturing

ATLANTA – October 20, 2004 – Infor Global Solutions, a provider of enterprise software solutions to over 13,000 customers in select manufacturing and distribution industries, announced today that it has acquired Lilly Software Associates, located in Hampton, New Hampshire. By adding Lilly’s industry-leading solutions, specific domain expertise and additional global locations to its existing capabilities, Infor has become one of the largest providers of software solutions to the discrete manufacturing market. Infor’s industry specific enterprise business solutions are supported by an experienced team of over 1,800 professionals located in 30 offices globally.

Lilly will join Infor’s discrete manufacturing group, which is led by Robin Pederson, Senior Vice President of Infor, and will continue to operate in its existing locations. Both Infor and Lilly are privately held companies. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“I am extremely enthusiastic about the acquisition of Lilly,” said Jim Schaper, Chairman and CEO of Infor. “Infor is already recognized as one of the largest providers of solutions to discrete manufacturers in Europe. This acquisition combined with our existing presence in the North American automotive market further expands our footprint while broadening our vertical market focus in the aerospace, defense and electronics industries among others. We welcome Lilly’s customers into our user group whose brands are recognized globally.”

Infor is committed to serving Lilly’s customers and continuing the development of Lilly’s technology. Founded in 1992, Lilly provides vertical market solutions for discrete manufacturers. The company has a global customer base of over 3,000 users and an established distribution channel. Lilly’s customers rely on products such as Visual Enterprise™ to enhance their understanding of business operations, manufacturing and the supply chain, resulting in improved bottom-line performance.

“We are committed to taking care of our customers with ongoing product enhancements and outstanding customer service,” said Robin Pederson. “Lilly’s customers will benefit from Infor’s deep focus on discrete manufacturing, global reach and financial strength while gaining a long-term partner committed to long-term investment in product development.”

About Infor
Infor provides vertical specific, enterprise-wide business solutions to select manufacturing and distribution industries worldwide and delivers best-in-class products that address the essential challenges our customers face in areas such as supply chain planning, relationship management, demand management, ERP, warehouse management, marketing-driven distribution, and business intelligence. Infor has 30 locations worldwide and its solutions are used by 13,000 customers in over 45 countries. Infor is proud to provide business solutions to some of the world’s largest and most respected companies, including Denso, TRW, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Pez International, Grohe, Cargill, Heinz, Heineken, xpedx, Godiva, Valvoline, 3M Unitek, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bristol Myers Squibb. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.

About Lilly
Lilly provides a complete line of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. The Visual Enterprise™ suite of products helps companies capture and analyze real-time data about all their business processes using ERP, Project Management, Business Performance Management, Quality Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Warehouse Management System capabilities. From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and profitability.

VALUE AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT KEY CUSTOMER THEMES AT LILLY SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES’ ANNUAL USER GROUP

New Product, VISUAL Easy Lean™ Demonstrated to More than 600 Customers; Company Receives Accolades from Early Adopters

Hampton, N.H., April 20, 2004 – Lilly Software Associates, Inc., a provider of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors, profiled the success of its new product, VISUAL Easy Lean™, to more than 600 of its worldwide customers at the company’s annual user group in Orlando, Florida. The themes of value, performance results and return on investment (ROI) were affirmed by many early adopter customers, including Marena Group, Link Manufacturing, ThermoFab, and Instrument Technology, Inc., to name a few.

“ If you are in the situation where you are fed up with your lack of delivery performance, or if you can find better uses for the money you have tied up in inventory, you must realize that change is required. Significant improvement requires fundamental change, and that is what TOC and Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) provide,” said Jeff Carignan, Vice President Manufacturing, Instrument Technology, Inc. “Since implementing Lilly’s solution, we have experienced an overall inventory reduction of 20 percent, lead times have been reduced 40 percent, on-time shipment performance has increased from 74 percent to 93 percent, and throughput productivity has increased 43 percent.”

VISUAL Easy Lean is an advanced planning/scheduling methodology that is integrated into Lilly’s Visual Enterprise™ solution. VISUAL Easy Lean, also known as a streamlined VISUAL DBR module, supports the principles of Lean Manufacturing and can be implemented in rapid timeframes. Designed to significantly improve lead-times and on-time delivery, VISUAL Easy Lean helps both make-to-order and make-to-stock companies overcome market constraints and increase sales.

“ Most American manufacturers, like us, have survived the onslaught of offshore competition by offering highly specialized items in addition to standard product offerings,” said John Rogelstad, Director of Operations, Marena Group. “Traditional order processing and work release makes it extremely difficult to prioritize and complete this special work in a timely fashion. VISUAL DBR makes simultaneous make-to-order and make-to-stock production a straightforward task, to the point that we can manage both with ease.”

“ Our solutions are optimized to give our customers a competitive advantage in their respective markets,” said Scott Rich, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Lilly Software Associates. “By delivering a quality product that squarely addresses industry-wide challenges associated with on-time delivery, production lead times and increased competition, we are enabling our customers to do more with less, while significantly improving their overall business performance.”

About Lilly Software Associates

Lilly Software Associates, Inc. provides a complete line of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. The Visual Enterprise™ suite of products helps companies capture and analyze real-time data about all their business processes using ERP, Project Management, Business Performance Management, Quality Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Warehouse Management System capabilities. From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and profitability.

Most VISUAL® applications run on Windows® 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, UNIX®, LINUX, Novell®, using SQLBase®, Microsoft SQL Server®, or ORACLE® relational databases.

Lilly Software has received many industry awards for its products, service, and financial growth since its inception. Most recently, the company has been voted one of the Top 10 Best of Breed solutions for manufacturing by readers of Consumer Goods Technology, listed in Software Magazine's Top 500, selected as a Top 100 Logistics Information Technology Provider in Inbound Logistics, listed in the Top 100 Application Vendors in Supply Chain e-Business, included in MSI's Top 100 for its eighth year, and ranked as one of Start magazine's Hottest Companies.

Wire Belt Company of America Sees Dramatic Results After March Implementation of VISUAL Easy Lean™

Lilly Software’s Lean Solution Helps Company Improve Throughput for Competitive Advantage

Hampton, NH (USA), August 30, 2004 — Lilly Software Associates, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors, today announced that Wire Belt, the world’s leading supplier of Flat-Flex® wire belts to the food processing industry and others, has achieved dramatic results after implementing VISUAL Easy Lean.

“In the last three years in our business, there have been more and more dogs chasing fewer sticks,” said David Greer, President, Wire Belt. “To maintain existing customers and gain new ones in this highly competitive environment, where products are often perishable and downtime can cost customers hundreds of dollars per minute, rapid delivery is everything. We knew that to stay ahead of our competition we had to squeeze the slack out of our system, without hurting our already strong on-time performance record.”

VISUAL Easy Lean has helped Wire Belt do just that. Since implementing in March 2004, a process that took only four days from start to finish, the company has decreased lead times by 20 percent and reduced inventory by 15 to 20 percent. In addition, Lilly’s solution has helped Wire Belt increase revenues without having to enhance its labor force, with Greer citing an associated throughput increase of between 10 and 15 percent.

“This is the best thing we’ve done in a long, long time. We’ve saved a lot of money by simply allowing the software to do what it’s supposed to do,” he said. “We’ve improved throughput by making what we’ve needed to make instead of spinning our wheels just to put stuff on a shelf. Easy Lean really turned things around for us. We wish we’d done it sooner.”

Based on a “pull” versus “push” scheduling method, VISUAL Easy Lean helps companies dramatically reduce lead times, increase on-time delivery performance, improve productivity and profitability, and enhance customer service. Manufacturing companies around the world have experienced remarkable results almost immediately after implementing the solution, as has been the case with Wire Belt. “Both VISUAL and the Lilly team have been wonderful to work with. We’ve been very happy to enter the 21st Century with this system, versus the outdated system we were using. It’s a powerful tool.”

About Lilly Software Associates

Lilly Software Associates, Inc. provides a complete line of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors. The Visual Enterprise™ suite of products helps companies capture and analyze real-time data about all their business processes using ERP, Project Management, Business Performance Management, Quality Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Warehouse Management System capabilities. From award-winning software to strategies in Lean Manufacturing and TOC, Lilly Software offers companies the tools they need for higher productivity and profitability.

Most VISUAL® applications run on Windows® 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, UNIX®, LINUX, Novell®, using SQLBase®, Microsoft SQL Server®, or ORACLE® relational databases.

Lilly Software has received many industry awards for its products, service, and financial growth since its inception. Most recently, the company has been voted one of the Top 10 Best of Breed solutions for manufacturing by readers of Consumer Goods Technology, listed in Software Magazine's Top 500, selected as a Top 100 Logistics Information Technology Provider in Inbound Logistics, listed in the Top 100 Application Vendors in Supply Chain e-Business, included in MSI's Top 100 for its eighth year, and ranked as one of Start magazine's Hottest Companies.

Aerospace Company Significantly Improves Operations with VISUAL Easy Lean™.

McWilliams Forge Sees Significant Results One Month After Implementation

Hampton, NH (USA), September 7, 2004 — Lilly Software Associates, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise and supply chain solutions for manufacturers and distributors, today announced that McWilliams Forge, a leading provider of aircraft and engine parts to the aerospace industry, has seen a 25 percent reduction in lead times, an increase in its already strong on-time delivery performance, and a dramatic overall improvement in its shop floor operation after implementing VISUAL Easy Lean.

“Our customers are jet engine and aircraft builders, and their schedules change weekly, sometimes daily,” said Peter McWilliams, Vice President Manufacturing, McWilliams Forge. “Before Easy Lean, we had a real hard time getting our shop floor managers the right information. They wasted a lot of time working on the wrong jobs. We needed a powerful tool that would eliminate confusion on the shop floor and allow our people to make better decisions. One month after implementation, we began to see things turn around.”

The Lilly Software Throughput Improvement Services Team worked very closely with McWilliams and his staff. As a result, after only three weeks of implementation and training, McWilliams’ people embraced the new system. Now, even when a manager is absent from the shop floor, the operators know exactly what the priorities are because it’s printed right on the reports that Easy Lean provides each day. “In the old days, you were probably working on
the wrong job 40 percent of the time,” said McWilliams. “Easy Lean gives you the ability to always be working on what needs to be worked on, and that just says it all for us. Our managers have really bought into the system because it makes their lives so much easier.”

Based on a “pull” versus “push” scheduling method, VISUAL Easy Lean helps companies dramatically reduce lead times, increase on-time delivery performance, improve productivity and profitability, and enhance customer service. Manufacturing companies around the world have experienced remarkable results almost immediately after implementing the solution. “If you ask me whether or not Easy Lean will help other companies reduce their lead times, boost their on-time delivery, and improve their shop floor operation,’” said McWilliams, “my answer is ‘yes, yes, yes.’”

Most VISUAL® applications run on Windows® 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP, UNIX®, LINUX, Novell®, using Gupta™ SQLBase®, Microsoft SQL Server®, or ORACLE® relational databases.